Ana's Mermaid

Hi Guys,

Oh, the eve of a three day weekend, is there anything better? Yes! A three day weekend that starts off with fireworks! Happy Independence Day everyone! Do you have any plans this weekend? We have a little and a lot to do, does that make any sense? Kind of a weird weekend. Me personally, I have A LOT to do, like stitch, stitch, stitch! Next Friday I am going to be the featured artist at The Rowan Tree for Lodi Arts Commission Art Hop! Eeeep! I'm stitching like a mad woman to have enough to show, plus making a display and a sign, eeegads! Where does the time go?

Speaking of time, it's time I finally shared about this lovely lady! This Urban Threads Dark Fairy Tales Mermaid is something I stitched for my niece, Ana. It was meant to be for Christmas, and it ended up being for her birthday 5 months later. Oh, the shame...

I am *SO* behind with my birthday gift makings this year. There are a couple people who probably think I've forgotten them. I haven't peeps! I'm just notoriously late! I need to replicate myself so I can stitch twice as much, so many ideas so little time... 

Rather than hoop this embroidery up once complete, I decided to stretch the fabric over an artists canvas, I really like the clean, contemporary look.

Hair! An embroiderers favorite thing to stitch! I jest. It's really not that bad, just tedious, but I'm generally happy with the results, I did all of this mermaids hair in stem stitch. You can see some other hair stitchery I've done here & here.

Her body is also stitched in single strand perle cotton, simple backstitch.

As I mentioned I stretched this piece over artists canvas, I did gallery corners at each corner and was very pleased with how neat & tidy they came out.

I trimmed the back with some lacy printed black ribbon just to make things look more finished and I had the hanging hardware added at Aaron Brothers, they do that you know, for $5! What a bargain.

Ana told me that she loves her Little Mermaid and has hung it in her house, yay! I love to hear that kind of thing as does anyone who makes handmade gifts, you want the person to love them as much as you loved making them and sometimes that comes with a risk. This risk paid off, woo!

So what are you all doing this weekend? Do tell!

oxo,

Lisa

Georgia On My Mind

Hey Y'all!

Sorry it's taken me so long to get this post up, there's something about editing a ton of family photos, then picking through them to see what goes here on the blog, what goes on Flickr or Facebook, who gets tagged, etc. that I find daunting, so I freely admit... I've been dragging my feet. We're all guilty, right? 

So! We went to Georgia last week  a couple of weeks ago, it was a quick trip to visit family and get a peek at the deep south. We visited Augusta (where our family lives and where my niece is stationed at Ft. Gordon), and Savannah. Since we were only going to be there for 3 days, and mainly to see family, I knew we'd barely get to skim the surface, but as per our usual style, we crammed it in. 

It was so good to see my nieces again! Alex has been serving in the US Army for the last three years, and almost 2 years ago, Ana moved to Georgia to be near her. I love & miss these two. Our first day in Augusta, Ana played tour guide and we visited the downtown area, along the river (she tells me those houses back there are in South Carolina, not Georgia) an old cemetery (love those!) and cruised around some of the older, beautiful neighborhoods of Augusta. It's hard to get good photos from the backseat of a moving vehicle though, so instead I just soaked it in.

I really liked the look of this little old house and tried to get a good shot, but again... moving vehicle. Bah. 

Now, that's what I call four wheel drive! Living in the breadbasket of California, I'm pretty used to seeing all sorts of large farm equipment, but generally, not on the highway. Something that struck me about Georgia, was how green & lush everything is, and from what I understand - year-round  It's so pretty, there are so many trees, so much open space. Very unlike California. Not that there's not a lot of open space in CA, there's tons, but unless it's landscaped, or irrigated, the wide open spaces of my beloved home state aren't green, or if they are, it only lasts from March to mid-May when things heat up and everything turns brown. 

Savannah! We only had one afternoon, so we did the best we could and walked everywhere downtown and along the River Walk.

A cookie bigger than his head. Yes, my husband was in heaven.

Alex was in heaven too, this kid loves candy! We found some great stuff at Savannah Candy Kitchen. 

Alex & Ana goofing with my camera.

My first glimpse of Spanish moss,

What an eerie and beautiful plant. 

Commemorating the 250 year anniversary of the founding of the colony of Georgia and those Georgians of Irish ancestry for their contributions. It was not lost on me that Jaime & Claire made their first landfall in the United States in Georgia at the end of Voyager, I kept daydreaming about them as we passed along some of the older parts of the city. Such a nerd.

The gaslights along this stretch of buildings was very pretty.

Sean and I... and a rouge photobomber.

The Savannah Cotton Exchange

I love this kid. 

Another stumble upon that we encountered was The Lady & Sons, Paula Deen's restaurant! We weren't hungry for a full meal, and we didn't have reservations anyway, but I thought maybe we could grab a bit of desert, and seeing as how we were in the peach state, I wanted something like that. I got a piece of peach cobbler, and Ana got a bit of the Gooey Butter Cake to go. I had high hopes, I mean, Paula Deen! Unforch... is wasn't very good. Bummer. 

But girls, I ate alligator!! And ya know... it wasn't half bad, but I don't care what anyone says, it does not taste like chicken.

The River Walk in the evening was lovely, and this guy, wow, he could sing!

We took a ghost tour! Most of my pictures are rubbish, but I managed a few, like this one of our (hunky) tour guide, Don.

And this one of Sean getting the jeebers! All the lights on the EMF detector lit up. Hehehe... It's silly.

Speaking of silly fun, the last place we visited in Savannah was the Moon River Brewery. What's so special about that? Well, lemme tell ya... Ghost Adventurers! We love that show, those guys can be so corny and scare the pants off of themselves, they filmed an episode at this location. Although... sometimes I admit, that show gives me the creeps, but it's all in good fun.

All in all, it was a fast blast, we wished we could have stayed for longer, but we had to get back home to our little critter family. The only things I didn't get to do that I had hoped to was have tea somewhere poshy and visit a historical plantation. Ah well, next time! 

Hope you enjoyed a few little vacation pictures! Now back to crafts n' tea & stuff!

oxo,

Lisa

The reason for my flakery... or a quick catch up.

Hello~hello! So sorry to have kept you lovely people waiting, I'm afraid the past couple of days have been packed beyond blogging capability. Let's play catch up real quick!

So! I moved my niece Ana down to Santa Barbara this weekend. I've never been to Santa Barbara before, it's a beautiful city! I think Ana is really going to have a good time there. Hopefully not *too* much of a good time, she is there to attend college after all... We drove down Saturday, met up with some friends for dinner and a walk up and down the pier, the beach, then State Street which was alive with revelers. We happened into town during the final night of the Old Spanish Days Festival, perfect timing! A lively fiesta was in full swing when we arrived, there was confetti, music, food and laughter everywhere! I told Ana the festival was being thrown in her honor, seeing as how she moved to town that day :o) She rolled her eyes at me if I remember correctly. Puh, kids...

This guy is ready to party!

Next morning we moved her in to her little apartment. She's sharing a 2 bedroom / 1 bath flat with three other girls. All college freshman. Oh, the fun they'll have!! But 4 girls vs. 1 tiny bathroom? We'll see... It was strange leaving her there. I knew I needed to hit the road, I had another 6 hour drive home, but when it came time for me to go, it felt weird not to have her with me. I'm gonna miss that kid. But look how happy she is!

My happy girl!

My drive home was long, boring and uneventful... nothing exciting to share. I made good time, six hours right on the nose. When I got home, I kept telling myself, blog! blog! blog! You promised you'd be back with Lisa & Jill's Big Day In The City Part II! But... girls, I just couldn't... I was beat. Driving does that, ya know?

Monday was fun! A quick morning passed at work, then a co-worker and I took off to the city for a San Francisco Giants game, it was Jerry Garcia Tribute Night!

As you may or may not already know, I am a Deadhead. Love those boys. I have a lot of great memories of music, laughter and friendship associated with that band. Bob Weir and Phil Lesh, two of the original members of the Grateful Dead were there last night to sing the National Anthem, as well as Jerry's daughter Annabelle to throw out the first pitch. Good times! In the 7th inning stretch, Phil and Bill Kreutzmann, another original member lead the crowd in a resounding rendition of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" on kazoo! They were trying to break a World Record for largest kazoo ensemble. I don't know if they did, but it was fun anyway.

Got me some new GD swag too, yes I did! Some of it looks like this...

It was a long but exciting game with two extra innings due to a 3/3 tie. But in the end the Giants win!!

 

This superfan was sitting right behind me. I liked her sign. I think everyone in attendance had a great time last night, except the Chicago Cubs fans... boo.

Two extra innings resulted in a late, late night. I didn't get home until after 1:00am. Oi!

Today... not as much fun. I'm sick again. More summer sinus headaches, coupled with a runny nose, sore throat and ear aches. I've been told that I burn the candle at both ends...I think that it's caught up with me. But it sure is fun along the way!

Feeling (not so) groovy, but always yours truly,

Lisa

Off, off, and away!

Gooood Morning!
It's a bright and crisp 6:45am on Saturday as I write this quick little post. I'm about to leave for the weekend, I'm delivering Ana to college in Santa Barbara! We have a long drive ahead of us today, about 355 miles... That is a loooong way... I'm going to miss my niecey-poo...

Anyhooo, I mentioned in my last post that I'd be back the very next day with "Lisa & Jill's Big Day In The City, Part II" and that was three days ago! Darn this real life that keeps getting in the way of my bloggin' plans! Things keep popping up that have kept me away from my computer, I'm sorry guys. I think I'll finally be able to write to you again when I get back from Santa Barbara tomorrow evening. Until then, I thought I'd give you all just a little taste of what you're in for...

Curious???

Mwahahahaha! See you soon!

oxo,

Lisa

Class of 2010

A personal little post today,

I shout it to the world because I'm brimming with pride,

but this is all about you,

Ana~banana!

Congratulations baby! I'm so very proud of you!

I know what a difficult journey you've had these last few years.

High school is behind you now, and the world is waiting at your doorstep.

You can do anything you set your mind to, anything at all.

I love you and will always be here for you. You're a pearl, my girl!

I love you (both) forever.

oxo

Auntie

A Midnight Masquerade...

Hello Everyone~
It's been busy around here lately! Tea parties, and house guests and baking oh my! Not a whole lof of crafting & sewing going on, none that I can share anyway. Teehee! I do have a few craf~tea secrets started up my sleeves, but they'll have to stay secret for a while... I'm trying to get a jump on Christmas and it's already the first day of fall!

Since I can't say much about what I've been up to just yet, I thought I'd revisit something that I created this past spring when my niece, Ana asked me to make her a mask to go along with her outfit for her Junior Prom. I'm particularily happy about the way this project turned out. Of all the things I've made, this is the one I'm the most proud of because 1. Ana LOVED it (yay!!) and 2. it turned out way "beyond-my-skills" pretty, if I do say so myself! (Toot-toot! I think I may have just blown my own horn! Do forgive me.)

This is Ana's dress, what beauty, what style... what? Dang! Va~va~va~voom! When did my little niecy-poo grow enough curves to fill this thing out? It happens fast people. This dress is what I think of when I envision iconic, Hollywood glamour and sophistication. Just gorgeous. (as a side note for anyone who's interested... yes, that is Twilight you see playing on the TV next to the dress, it plays constantly in this house... my niece is just a scouche obsessed, she even does a blog it's over here -------> See it? It's called Dazzled Hearts.) As soon as I saw the dress I envisioned exactly what I wanted her mask to look like. I could see it finished in my minds eye, but could I pull it off? Ana trusted me completely and gave me total creative freedom, which I have to say is pretty amazing for a 16 (at the time) year old girl. Off to JoAnn's to gather my supplies!

I started with a simple, plain black mask. I removed the string which holds it to your head and sprayed the front of the mask with aerosol adhesive, then I sprinkled black glitter over the entire front of the mask and let it dry over night.

Next day I hit a snag. My plan was to lay navy blue lace that matched her dress over the black sparkles so that you could see the lace, but also the structure of the mask glittering underneath. Dimensional you know? Layers of pretty! I started by spraying adhesive over the top of the glitter... ick! What was I thinking? BIG MISTAKE (which you can see above). It made the glitter dull and sticky, yucky bummer! Lesson learned. Back to the JoAnn's for another mask. I sprayed and sprinkled again (in the parking lot of my office - on my lunch hour!), and this time when it came to the lace, I sprayed the back of the lace with the adhesive and ever so delicately laid it over the contours the glittery mask. Perfecto!

Bada Bing, bada boom, this thing is coming together nicely! When I slit holes in the eyes, the adhesive that was on the back of the lace folded perfectly flat onto the inside of the mask, bonus! Next I added lavender rhinestones in a swirly pattern that I'd free handed, I wanted substantial bling, but not gawdy. And can I just say... placing rhinestones is a booger. Then I added the beaded feather piece that you see on the left, and added a few more rhinestones up the center of the large black plume. After this I simply added a few other feathers (I got into the process and forgot to take pictures of this...oops!) You have to be careful at this stage, it's easy to go over board, you have to think with a critical eye. I didn't want Ana to have to fidget around with a mask that actually sat on her face and mussed up her hair & makeup, so I added a handle to the mask. I started with a small dowel, cut it to size, painted it black, then wrapped it in a lattice of lavender, and light blue ribbons. I accented the end with a large Aurora Borealis crystal that I found in the jewelry making section at Michael's. I hung a few more pieces of ribbon from he bottom to give it a little more presence, including one that looked like a delicate silver chain. Here's a better picture of the end of the "wand". As it turns out, the crystal was great because it was rather heavy so it added balance to the entire piece. Without it, the mask might have felt a little top heavy.
I hot glued the "wand" into place, then finished the inside of the mask with soft, black, peel-n-stick felt so that it would look finished, and more importantly, so as not to scratch up a pretty face!
Viola! This is the finished mask, bellissimo! But you don't get the full effect until you see it in the hands of a beautiful girl. So without further adieu... meet Ana.

Fancy hair, check! Pretty makeup, check! Loves her auntie, check-check!

Here are Ana and her Nana, my mother-in-love, Kathleen. Kathleen did the fancy hair job. She's a pro and it was beautiful, there were rhinestones placed here and there all over the back.

She loved her mask, I was so relieved!! I mean, I loved it, but I wasn't sure she would. She said it was the best one at the prom and she carried it around with her the entire night. Awww, that's so sweet!

Isn't she a knock out?? I took so many pictures of her that day that it was almost painful to pick just these few. I wish I could show you all of them, if you were sitting here having tea with me, I would! Oh well what the heck, here's one more with her radiant, happiest smile!

I love her so much! I was really happy to make this for her, and I think it complimented her look so well. I'm usually a thrifty person when it comes to crafting, so I'd have to say that this was not an inexpensive project, I think the materials cost about $40, but we priced masks like this online and they started at around $100. It took some time too, altogether I'd say about 8-10 hours. Also, this is a sturdy piece, not at all flimsy, and who knows what we would have gotten with regard to quality from the internet. Regardless, Ana is a special girl, way more than a niece, she's my friend and this was my gift to her. I was thrilled to be a part of her prom.

Boy, as usual, I'm long winded! Sorry bout that, I hope your eyes haven't gone crossed!

I'd love to hear your thoughts, I might be making another mask soon for a birthday, so please sent any pointers you have my way!

oxo,

Lisa